Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-12-17
THE iNoIAN ARROW POISON.
a Most Interesting and Curi"us Dral
E0ertS Cppu Amin nle-NO Ant tJtl0te.

a Moss Interesting and Curious Drss'
| E"ee'' 'P"" A"'"s's->" An''""'".
Curare or curara. or arrow poison. is
most interesting and curious drug, BE-
longing to the class neurotics. 1t is n
Jiice or extract from the bark OF q
creeping vine indigenous to Guiana and
Central America, AMI Is largely used by
the Indians ~ an arrow poison for kill
ing game and IN war.
The Jtdians prcpare tho loison with
great s. ',recy and mystery. mixing the
extract II the vine with other herbs. red
and bla K ants. and the powdered iangs
OF venomous serpent. II Ii then boiled
over slow lire until the liquid Is brown
and OF a very bitter taste, when 1t is
poured INTO small vessel and kept in a
cool, dry place. When ready for use the
extract very soluble III water. and IL
therefore very diftusi6le when introduced
INTO wound, being quickly dissolved by
the blood and rapidly carried into the
circulation. producing stupor and pa
raiysis.
The Indians prepare number Of ar
rows at a time previous to battle or a
iunting expedition. They are prepared
oy uhpping TIE point OF the arrow into
the giutinous' semi-solid poison and twist
ing 1t about until a sufficient quantity Of
the extract has adhered to the tip, when
they are iaid aside TO dry.
MI. ihh'm ihe London Medical Ga
zette. states that he found the extract to
retain ITS poisonous properties for y
period OF twenty seven years, but must
lie kept IN dry place. Bernard. a
traveller IN British Guiana, writes that he
found some which had been loosely OH
the up OF an arrow for fifteen years and
which still retained sufficient virulence
to XIII an animal IN a few minutes. The
poison begins Its effect upon All animal,
wounded with an arrow prepared as de-
crlbed. in from one TO three minutes
with commissions, the animal apparently
;unerlng no pain, death ensuing in four
or five minutes. The poison does not
hasten stupefaction in the tissues Of the
animal. rs Is the case with snake poison.
and its flesh Is used as food by the Indians
without ny7bad effects.
: A traveller in Central America de-
scribes an experiment in which thre,: ar.
rows were introduced beneath the skin of
an OK. For four minutes there was no
effect. then it set itself firmly on its four
legs as to resist falling and remained
quite still for fourteen minutes: it then
attempted to walk, but stumbled and fell.
the eyes became fixed. dim and apparent
iy insensible to light; there were convul-
sions IN the limbs, labored breathing and
frothlng at the mouth. After convulsions
IN the limbs had CEASED there was still
some motion OF the heart al intervals. Ia
twenty live minutes from the introduc-
ton OF the p''soned arrows the animal
was dead. The flesh was eaten. but it
had acquired no peculiar flavor or odor
from the poison and gave rise to no I'M
pleasant symptoms.
a curious fact about curara thus pre-
pared Is tha' Is inert when swallowed
INTO the stomach and must Be introduced
Directly INTO the blood OF circulation thy-
lSlerinicaiiy. as werel IN order to kill.
lhe reason Tor tins Is doubtless that the
huids OF digestion, particularly the acid
gastric juice, change the Chemical conf